Town Square

Atherton: Plans rev up for new $32 million Town Center

Original post made
on Mar 24, 2014

Will Atherton residents be willing to contribute nearly $20 million toward a new Town Center? Community leaders helping to plan the center -- which is projected to cost close to $32 million -- intend to find out as the plan moves into its design phase.

I seem to remember a number of years ago a developer offered to build Atherton a free city hall and library as part of a development project near the train station. Could have sworn there was something in the Almanac back then including a comment from the developer.

Posted by matt
a resident of Atherton: West of Alameda
on Mar 24, 2014 at 1:04 pm

hey cmon people. theres a lot of serious crime around here. Just last week i saw a strange man walking down the street, by himself, talking loudly and waving his hands... then i noticed he was wearing a phone headset.

Posted by Oldtimer
a resident of Atherton: other
on Mar 24, 2014 at 1:06 pm

Nearly new to Atherton, I like your thinking. The new building is about the right size. Tear down the trailers at building permits, keep the library and use the existing Admin bldg. for the PD and we are finished. This solution should be a lot less than $32 million.

Posted by Astonished
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Mar 24, 2014 at 7:40 pm

I'm relieved to see that the comments thus far are all on the same logical track regarding this absurdly over-designed Town Hall project. How surprising that the police and their union still have the audacity to wheedle delegating over half the new facility for themselves. Not too many months ago, it was very iffy whether Atherton residents really wanted or needed our expensive police department in this essentially crime-free town. It still is because we don't. Yet here they are with their foot in the door again. Clearly, with good ideas like the nicely located, new, vacant building available in town, we need to change the committee making these Town Center decisions. Good candidates are writing here already!

Posted by peninsula resident
a resident of Menlo-Atherton High School
on Mar 24, 2014 at 9:15 pm

A new admin building should only be big enough to replace the existing structures used for administration: the PD building, council chambers and the temporary buildings. And no bigger.

However, those buildings do need to be replaced. The current buildings are seismically unsafe.

If this can be done with no tax dollars, then I think it's a no-brainer that it should be done.

Question: I saw some of the candidate plans, but I don't know which one was decided on. Which one one?

Question #2: Also, I was told that there were plans to improve drainage on many of the streets in Atherton (I bring it up here because I know that topic has been discussed as part of the City Center work). Does anyone know the status of that planned work?

Posted by Peter
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Mar 24, 2014 at 10:19 pm

How about a mixed use.city building in which something useful occurs along with the usual sitting around? Maybe it could include housing for employees. How about a 50-story apartment or condo complex in the mix?

Posted by Get It Done
a resident of Atherton: other
on Mar 25, 2014 at 4:59 am

For almost 20 years this building has been debated with organized opposition from about 20-40 residents and support from about the same number. Finally the voters approved it. The council should move forward with the project. The delays have just increased the cost.

Posted by good question
a resident of Atherton: other
on Mar 25, 2014 at 8:10 am

The comments and suggestions about using the existing new building at the corner of Watkins and El Camino Real (located in county Menlo Park) is a good question. The building was built on spec with permits as a medical-dental building. Although the interior never finish when built it has now been completed and is still a medical dental building configuration.
Over the years since it was built several Atherton police Chiefs and council members have looked at it as a possible police headquarters since the existing police building is so bad. Several obvious problems come up in that it does not have an adequate parking capacity and the ability to provide security. It would require extensive remodeling to add communications, a prisoner holding facility, record storage and offices and spaces to house the entire department staff including administration. These are just the obvious ones but only by designing a building with the end use for police use will you have something that will work for many years. The new police building will be funded with private donations.

Posted by Marty
a resident of Atherton: West of Alameda
on Mar 26, 2014 at 3:04 am

@Astonished
". . . essentially crime-free town." could it be that Atherton is crime free because of its police department? Try doing without the local police and see how long Atherton maintains its low crime rate.

Posted by Hold on
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Mar 26, 2014 at 10:50 am

Pay for it with taxpayer money? That's not what the taxpayers voted on (private donations only). If it's going to be taxpayer money, the taxpayers would need to approve a 13,000 square foot police station for three cops working on any one shift. Frankly it's ridiculous.

Posted by Sore eyes
a resident of Atherton: other
on Mar 26, 2014 at 2:06 pm

What about all the construction trucks not to mention the white and red Delta bus parked in the "atherton dumping ground"? Who's making money on parking lot? If rent is being charged that could be applied to a nicer town center and get rid of the trailer permit center "temp" sitting there for at least 15 years.

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